UE bar hike denies access to thousands

A Government rule change denying access to thousands of young Kiwis access to tertiary education is doing nothing to build a smart, fair future, Labour’s Tertiary Education spokesperson David Cunliffe said today.

“NZQA rules changed by the Government have reduced student enrolments from 71% to 58%, or by about 4000 students as UE has been lifted from NCEA 2 to NCEA 3.

"That's a massive shift that is biasing university education towards students who can afford to stay at school to year 13. Access to tertiary education is a crucial ingredient to building a fair society where any young person can dream big dreams and succeed.

"Cutting access to thousands of young Kiwis is no way to build a smarter future for our country.

“NCEA results should not be seen as the only predictor of university success -plenty of young people hit life hurdles that disturb their studies, but bounce back later,” David Cunliffe said.

“Labour wants every New Zealander who has the ability and desire to study at university to be able to do so.

“Unfortunately National’s rule changes and higher fees are denying that birth right to the next generation and we will all be the poorer for it.”